Zookeeper's Lounge

I know this is like kicking in open doors but I think many of you have noticed that this forum is not mere then a shade of its former self. Many forum hardliners left but that's normal as ones intrest in things can't last forever or they left for personal reason wich I understand completly. But sadly they were not replaced enough new blood to keep body and soul of this forum together.

So I wonder if there were any plans to bring some life into this forum?

Yeah, there's no doubt ZKL has died down....A LOT! It has been discussed among the mods/admins, and we are pretty much at a loss as to what to do to revitalize the forums. We thought about doing contests, etc., but that didn't seem to go over well.

I'm sure everyone would be open to suggestions as to what to do in order to kick-start ZKL into a more lively place. If you guys have any ideas, please feel free to post them. We thought with ZT2 it would become more active, but unfortunately that was not the case. The lack of user-created material seems to be keeping everything at a standstill, as that was a big draw for a lot of people with ZT1. I think ZT2 has a lot to offer, but it's definitely not the same as the original, which was the founding force behind ZKL.

In my opinion a large part of the problem is the fact that many moderators haven't showed up in months at least not in this part of the forum.

You make a very good point. Perhaps, if you are interested, you should PM jwa or Troyminator to see about becoming a mod around here. We have lost a lot of people, and I agree we need active, loyal members to fill the vacancies.

Forget about new moderators - that won't attract new visitors.

What this site needs, is more new downloads. I know that a lot of people don't design anymore (I've calmed down a lot too), so I think the first thing we could do would be attracting new talent full designers somehow. Maybe a contest, or approaching good designers that don't have a (big) site yet

Before I joined (not too long ago) the biggest turn off for me was definitely the lack of downloads. Actually, CREATIVE downloads. You all have to admit, not to be mean or anything but, changing the colors of pre-made animals is pretty, well, unworthy. A compettion for uca's sounds like a great idea. All of us who are joined at other sites could spread the word, hypathetically speaking.

The problems with "new" animals for ZT1 is that very few people have the time or the graphics skill to make new animations.
We looked at the Asian elephant the other day and for it to raise and lower its trunk takes 54 pictures to make up that one animation.
People don't get paid to make the new files and they have a real life that needs their attention too.

Well, thats very true. I get a headache every time I try to add on to my animals. But this is a pretty big issue. You and Jay are the only one's that I have seen on here since I joined. I was very surprised to see how long It had been since some of the latest posts. I have to admit, a contest is extreme and would take some planning, but an intricate animal isn't necesarily a good one, a simple animal with simple animations (such as Zoo Admin's P.I.X. for example) can be just (if not more) as interesting as a detailed one.

the way I discovered and was able to find ZKL was through the official MS site right now there are 6 or 7 sites on the official fansite list. for new players that fall in love with the ZT games the same way we all did the MS site is probably the first place they will check for more info. if we can rejoin that list I think that will definately help to increase numbers or at the very least generate interest.